Phoenix fans will be thinking this must surely be the year for the Wellington-based football club - and they are not alone.
Coach Ernie Merrick has been talking up his squad and, given his recruiting in the off-season, he has every right.
Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick Photo: Photosport
But the pressure is on to finally deliver.
If the planets can align for the Hurricanes to win the Super Rugby crown, then the Phoenix must surely have a crack at the A-League title.
After struggling through last season, the signings of Brazilian Gui Finkler, All White Kosta Barbarouses and former Serie-A player Marco Rossi have added strength through defence, midfield and up front.
Last season the Phoenix became a one-trick pony.
Relying solely on midfielder Roly Bonnevacia for creativity, oppositions quickly learned that if they shut Bonnevacia down they shut the Phoenix down.
Roy Krishna was uncomfortable having to take up the role of frontline striker and the responsibility of scoring goals. He will feel much better playing off Barbarouses.
With Krishna unable to provide a steady supply of goals, it put further pressure on Bonnevacia to not only be the playmaker but also the finisher - a tough assignment.
The experiment with Dutchman Jeffrey Sarpong also failed. Generally a midfielder, Merrick had been banking on turning him into a striker.
Fellow midfielder Michael McGlinchey needed to help Bonnevacia out in that role, but was unable to stamp his mark on matches.
Gui Finkler will bolster the Phoenix mid-field. Photo: Photosport
Finkler will relieve the pressure on Bonnevacia, as he's already shown in pre-season matches.
That should also free up McGlinchey and after a quiet couple of seasons, he needs to prove what he's capable of.
Finkler's arrival also helps ease Merrick's headaches over set-piece plays.
Woeful is the only word for the Phoenix efforts last season, from free kicks and corners in particular.
Finkler has already shown the Phoenix can be a threat from set-piece play, scoring from free kicks well outside the penalty area in pre-season games.
Phoenix captain Andrew Durante is enjoying his football again. Photo: Photosport
Importantly, the 34-year-old skipper Andrew Durante is enthused once more.
After the lows of last season, where the Phoenix failed to win two games on the trot, Durante was questioning his future in the game.
But after a couple of months off and buoyed by the clubs new signings, Durante is adamant a top-four finish is the minimum requirement for his side this season.
Durante's new central defending colleague Rossi has a chequered past.
He was previously suspended for one year and eight months and fined $40,000 after he was caught in a 2011 fixing scandal that rocked Italian football.
But the 28-year-old has managed to resurrect his career in Italy and is now hoping to write a new chapter in his résumé.
It's just unfortunate the Phoenix will be without several key players from the outset.
With the All Whites away playing Mexico and the United States, the Phoenix are short Durante, Barbarouses and McGlinchey for their opening match against Melbourne City in Wellington on Saturday.
The A-League doesn't go on hold during the FIFA international window like other competitions around the world.
A Phoenix side with all its new signings up against a Melbourne side featuring arguably Australia's most successful player, Tim Cahill, would have been a fascinating first up assignment.
Such a match would also have been a strong indication as to whether the Phoenix can truly call themselves A-League title contenders, or whether Phoenix fans are about to endure another season of simply being also-rans.
-RNZ
